In today's dramatic, click baiting, over stimulated media digestion, the most shock equates to the most attention.
This leads to the bias of news outlets to over exaggerate research findings.
One of the most common ways they do this...using relative risk instead of absolute risk.
See the picture below for a quick understanding of this important concept.
For a more in-depth explanation, check out this video below.
Take Home
Be cautious with dramatic news that use statistics.
Many drugs cause very serious side effects. Some drugs are later found to be so disadvantageous for our health that they are taken off the market. So just because a drug is considered okay right now doesn't mean it will be the best thing for your health. Because what if your doctor doesn't know the difference between absolute versus relative risk?